Manchester City found guilty of 114 Premier League charges and plan appeal

Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League charges relating to alleged financial breaches, according to reports, with the club facing possible points deductions or expulsion from the competition.

No punishment has been decided, but City are understood to be preparing an appeal. The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by AFP about the case, which was first reported by the Athletic.

The Abu Dhabi-backed club were charged in 2023 after an investigation into alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018. Proceedings before an independent commission began in September 2024 and lasted two years.

City were accused of failing to provide accurate financial information, including details of payments to players and coaches, breaching financial sustainability rules and not co-operating with the investigation.

The club denied all the allegations and said their defence was based on a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence”.

A Manchester City spokesperson said on Friday that the club’s stance remained unchanged.

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

The case has drawn on documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel, including emails allegedly sent by senior City executives in 2018.

The documents were said to show sponsorship income from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecommunications company Etisalat being inflated by presenting direct investment from Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as commercial revenue.

Other purported documents alleged that former manager Roberto Mancini received off-the-books payments through consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.

City were banned from European competition for two years by UEFA in 2020 and fined for breaching financial fair-play rules. The ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Potential penalties in the Premier League case include a substantial points deduction and expulsion. Everton and Nottingham Forest both received points deductions during the 2023/24 season for single breaches of the league’s profit and sustainability rules.

A severe sanction could also affect the futures of City’s leading players, including striker Erling Haaland. Other clubs could seek to have titles removed from City’s record and claim compensation.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, whose side finished runners-up to City in 2011/12, posted: “Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet.”

But British Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged caution over any possible removal of City’s titles.

“I think we would all need to study the independent commission’s report in some considerable detail before reaching any conclusions,” he told ITV Granada Reports.

Since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club in 2008, City have won eight Premier League titles, the Champions League and numerous other trophies.

The ruling comes months after Pep Guardiola left following a decade in charge. Guardiola consistently supported City’s position but said he would leave if he discovered he had been misled and the allegations were proven.

City are top of the Premier League after a perfect start under new manager Enzo Maresca, following an outlay of about £460 million ($608 million) on players including Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.